The Effect of Cytomegalovirus Infection on Daily Stress Processes in Early Adulthood

压力对生存大有裨益，但也会增加慢性疾病发展的风险。 寿命。了解增加承受更多应激源的脆弱性的生物机制，或者 对他们做出更负面的反应，可以确定谁面临与压力相关的负面健康后果的风险， 并协助有针对性的预防和缓解努力，旨在改善福祉，增加健康年限 生活，并通过老龄化减轻医疗负担。一个正反馈循环，称为免疫学 自我调节失败模型(Shields等人，2017)，为研究生物学提供了一个潜在的框架 以及对日常压力的生理脆弱性：生理活性增加会导致神经 功能障碍，这会导致随后的自我调节缺陷和对未来应激源的体验增加， 这样的循环就会重复。这一模型表明，免疫活性增强、调节失调或神经功能失调 变化可能会通过自我调节缺陷增加对压力的脆弱性。巨细胞病毒(CMV) 无症状的潜伏疱疹病毒是这样一种免疫因素，可能会增加对应激的易感性。 以及它的影响。巨细胞病毒与免疫系统加速老化和全身炎症加重有关 生物标志物在老年人，但可能会影响健康，并增加对压力的脆弱性，在生命的早期。重要的是 受CMV影响的神经区域协调更高阶的心理能力，如计划， 抑制和调节自己，称为自我调节。在老年人中，CMV血清阳性与 通过自我报告评估的自律能力下降，但这尚未在年轻人中进行测试(Segerstrom 等人，2022年)。此外，自我调节能力差的人可能会经历更多的压力源(如关系 问题、债务等)并对它们做出更多反应(例如，报告在 压力源)与自律能力更强的人相比。通过对自我调节和压力的研究， CMV对老年人的影响，以及对CMV和应激的初步调查，很少是 已知将巨细胞病毒、自我调节和年轻人群的日常压力联系起来的生物机制 可能仍然能够改变或防止与CMV相关的对日常生活和未来健康的干扰。建议数 该项目旨在通过评估CMV感染、日常压力和自我之间的关系来填补这些空白 监管能力。这项建议的研究部分包括一次亲自访问实验室，以 问卷和干血点采集和14天的每日日记，以测试(A)巨细胞病毒与每日 成年早期的压力过程和(B)可能解释这些联系的机制。培训 该提案的组成部分包括(1)生物标本的培训、收集和分析，(2)初级 从本科生样本中收集数据；(3)统计方法论和R (4)心理神经免疫学方面的高级培训和专业知识建设；(5)广泛的 专业发展和道德培训，为有竞争力的学术生涯做准备。

Stress is acutely beneficial for survival but can increase risk for chronic disease development across the lifespan. Understanding the biological mechanisms that increase vulnerability to experience more stressors, or react more negatively to them, can identify who is at risk for negative health outcomes associated with stress, and assist targeted prevention and mitigation efforts aimed at improving well-being, increasing years of healthy living, and decreasing healthcare burden through aging. A positive feedback loop, called the Immunologic Model of Self-Regulatory Failure (Shields et al., 2017), provides one potential framework for studying biological and physiological vulnerabilities to daily stress: increased physiological activation leads to neurological dysfunction, which leads to subsequent self-regulatory deficits and increased experiences of future stressors, and the cycle repeats. This model suggests that increased immune activation, dysregulation, or neurological changes may increase vulnerability to stress by way of self-regulatory deficits. Cytomegalovirus (CMV), an asymptomatic, latent herpesvirus is one such immunological factor that may increase vulnerability to stress and its effects. CMV is associated with faster immune system aging and heightened systemic inflammatory biomarkers in older age but may affect health, and increase vulnerability to stress, earlier in life. Importantly, neurological regions affected by CMV coordinate higher-order psychological abilities, such as planning, inhibiting, and regulating oneself, called self-regulation. In older adults, CMV seropositivity is associated with declines in self-regulation, assessed via self-report, but this has yet to be tested in younger adults (Segerstrom et al., 2022). Further, individuals with poor self-regulation may experience more stressors (e.g., relationship problems, debt, etc.) and be more reactive to them (e.g., report a more intense, negative mood following a stressor) compared to someone with better self-regulation. Though studies on self-regulation and stress, the effects of CMV at older ages, and preliminary investigations on CMV and stress have been conducted, little is known about biological mechanisms linking CMV, self-regulation, and daily stress in younger populations who may still be able to modify or prevent CMV-related interference on daily life and future health. The proposed project aims to fill these gaps by evaluating the relationships between CMV infection, daily stress, and self- regulatory abilities. The research component of this proposal involves a single in-person laboratory visit for questionnaires and dried blood spot collection and a 14-day daily diary to test (a) how CMV is related to daily stress processes in early adulthood and (b) the mechanisms that may explain these associations. The training component of this proposal includes (1) training, collection, and analysis of biological specimen, (2) primary data collection from an undergraduate sample, (3) advanced training in statistical methodology and R programming, (4) advanced training and expertise building in psychoneuroimmunology, and (5) extensive professional development and ethics training in preparation of a competitive academic career.